The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for accurately determining an amount of fuel required to transport a vehicle a known distance.
It is well-known that commercially available vehicles are commonly equipped with fuel gauges. The most common type of fuel gauge utilized is a mechanical device which provides a relative measurement of a vehicle""s available fuel. Typically, these devices display the following increments of available fuel: Empty, xc2xc, xc2xd, xc2xe, and Full.
One drawback of such a system of fuel measurement is that one cannot determine with any accuracy the distance one can travel on the relative amount of fuel displayed. This drawback is particularly problematic in the context of delivering vehicles from a manufacturer to a dealer.
When a vehicle is ready for delivery to a dealer, a manufacturer must provide that vehicle with enough fuel to ensure its arrival. If a manufacturer relies exclusively on traditional fuel gauges, the amount of fuel will inevitably be overcompensated. This is because there is no way to accurately assess the actual amount of fuel that is required. Thus, the excess fuel remaining in each vehicle represents a loss to the manufacturer.
Several attempts have been made to address this problem. One such attempt is an automatic fuel gauge which provides an electronic readout of the distance a vehicle can travel based on the amount of fuel in that vehicle""s tank. These devices, however, are generally inaccurate for most fuel levels other than a full tank. At best, therefore, these devices merely provide a rough estimate of the distance a vehicle can travel based on a particular amount of fuel.
Similarly, other devices have attempted to address this problem by providing a fuel gauge which measures the amount of fuel expended by a vehicle. These devices do not, however, provide an indication of how much fuel remains in the vehicle. Consequently, these devices cannot provide an accurate indication of how far a vehicle can travel on the remaining fuel.
A need exists, therefore, for an improved method of determining fuel levels in vehicles.
It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for accurately determining an amount of fuel required to transport a vehicle a known distance.
One aspect of the invention is defined as a method for accurately determining an amount of fuel required to transport a vehicle a known distance comprising the steps of determining the volume of the vehicle""s fuel tank as a function:)n of the height of the tank; determining the distance the vehicle can travel as a function of fuel volume; placing a fuel measurement device into the fuel tank in order to determine the volume of fuel present therein; wherein the fuel measuring device has a plurality of volume and distance indicators labelled thereon, and wherein the volume and distance indicators correspond to the height of the tank; and determining the amount of fuel required by referring to the distance indicators which correspond to the volume of fuel present in the tank.
Another aspect of the invention is defined as an apparatus for accurately determining an amount of fuel required to transport a vehicle a known distance comprising: an elongated measuring device; wherein the elongated measuring device includes a plurality of volume indicators depicting the volume of fuel in the vehicle""s fuel rank as a function of the height of the tank; wherein the fuel measuring device includes a plurality of distance indicators depicting the distance the vehicle can travel as a function of the fuel volume in the vehicle""s fuel tank; wherein the elongated measuring device is adapted to fit into the vehicle""s fuel tank; and wherein the elongated measuring device exhibits a noticeable change in characteristic when submerged in fuel.